If you are like most people who have been asked to participate in a volunteer activity, you are familiar with the response, "Let me check my calendar and I’ll get back to you."

But when a Category 5 hurricane slams into a major portion of the Gulf Coast and you are a trained volunteer for the Red Cross, taking a few days to think it over isn’t an option.

When my mom called at noon on Monday, Aug. 29, I had a feeling it was going to be about the hurricane. Turns out I was right.

“The Red Cross called and asked if I would be willing to leave this afternoon to drive one of their emergency response vehicles down to Mobile, Ala.,” she said. “They want me and another volunteer to deliver aid to the victims of the Hurricane.”

Not only did the Red Cross need an immediate response, it was a minimum three-week commitment.

I know she wasn’t calling to ask my permission (she had already decided to go), but in an odd way, I felt a bit of parent-child role reversal as I immediately started to worry about her safety.

Sharing time isn’t new to my mother. Both she and my father are active volunteers. In fact, when she called to tell me about her decision, both my parents were volunteering for another organization at the Minnesota State Fair.

We’ve talked on the phone twice since she’s been down there and each time she has shared gut-wrenching stories of the devastation.

One gentleman and his wife told her about leaving their battered home in New Orleans. They were sickened because they left behind his 92-year-old mother who refused to go with them. She was born and raised in New Orleans and there was no way anyone was going to make her leave. When the gentleman finally reached the police back in New Orleans, he begged them to check on her. Later he was told that she couldn’t be located.

My mother said she sat with the couple and tried to comfort them as they grieved for his lost and possibly deceased mother. There is no amount of training that will prepare a person for this type of tragedy.

During our last conversation, she said how wonderful and grateful people have been during her time down South. “The outpouring of love and appreciation from people who have lost so much is almost beyond comprehension,” she said with noticeable emotion in her voice.

I am so proud of her and the thousands of others who have answered the call to share their time. Hopefully their stories and experiences will inspire another generation to say "yes" the next time an organization calls and asks them to volunteer.

There are hundreds of charities that are working around the clock to alleviate the pain and suffering of people who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Red Cross estimates it will need another 40,000 volunteers by November.

Whether you share your time or your money, please do so generously.

If you need help deciding which charity would be the best match for your contribution, I recommend you visit www.charitynavigator.org. And when possible, include everyone in the family in the giving decision. It can be a powerful teaching moment for millions of young people.

When have you said "yes" to a non-profit organization when they called and asked you to share your time?

I encourage you to discuss this question with family and friends. Just the other day, a friend told me a wonderful story about her 81-year-old father who recently spent a week clearing trails for the Sierra Club. What an inspiration!

Past research suggests that when people shift from a spending mentality to one that focuses on sharing and saving, they will experience healthier values and more happiness.

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